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Copper theft leaves lasting damage and ‘no options available’ on Wolf Creek
BY ROGER SMITH MOUNTAIN CITIZEN LOVELY — Another attempted copper theft on North Wolf Road has left residents without working telephone service and deepened what they describe as a permanent loss of infrastructure in their rural area. Around 8 a.m. Saturday, a caller traveling on State Route 1714/North Wolf Creek Road between Buck Branch and
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Tragedy of losing a communication lifeline in rural Martin County
Another 400 feet of copper cable may not sound like much. But on North Wolf Road in Lovely and on Rockhouse in Tomahawk it represents the steady unraveling of rural infrastructure that once connected Martin County people to each other and to the outside world. When copper thieves cut AT&T’s telephone line Saturday morning near
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Police catch woman cutting copper phone lines on North Wolf Creek
BY ROGER SMITH MOUNTAIN CITIZEN PILGRIM — A late-evening copper theft in Pilgrim ended in handcuffs Tuesday after deputies came upon a mud-stuck truck, cut utility lines and piles of stripped wire in a field. Martin County Sheriff John Kirk and his deputies responded to North Wolf Creek Road after a trespassing complaint. When they
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Sheriff solves copper theft case
BY ROGER SMITH MOUNTAIN CITIZEN BEAUTY — Copper theft that left thousands without phone and internet service during recent flash flooding led to the arrest of a Beauty man by Martin County Sheriff John Kirk. Ricky J. Sartin, 60, was arrested April 9 at his residence on Gordon Hollow Road and charged with receiving stolen
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Cable-cutting thieves strike in Beauty
Deputies say enough is enough “We can’t keep them in jail, but we can put them in jail.” —Chief Deputy Sheriff Chris Kidd BY ROGER SMITH MOUNTAIN CITIZEN BEAUTY — Thieves hit Gordon Hollow in the early hours of Sunday morning, slicing through a main Optimum cable and an AT&T phone line between 3 and
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Sheriff’s Office cracks down on copper theft
BY ROGER SMITH MOUNTAIN CITIZEN INEZ — After the recent arrests of five suspected copper thieves, the Martin County Sheriff’s Office has a clear message for anyone considering stealing AT&T phone lines: “You will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” Chief Deputy Sheriff Chris Kidd said. “It is a felony.” Cable theft
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When cable becomes Cupid: Valentine’s Day heist goes off the rails in Warfield
BY ROGER SMITH MOUNTAIN CITIZEN WARFIELD — Some celebrate Valentine’s Day with roses. Others with chocolates. But for four visitors to Martin County, dragging stolen cable behind their car like a wedding getaway gone wrong landed them behind bars Feb. 14. The ill-fated caper unraveled when police responded to a call about a car spotted
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Two arrested for alleged copper theft
BY KYLE LOVERN MOUNTAIN CITZEN WILLIAMSON, W.Va. — Law enforcement arrested two area men in the Buffalo Mountain area of Mingo County for allegedly stealing copper. The Mingo County Sheriff’s Department (MCSD) reported that deputies responded to the area Nov. 6 after receiving reports of copper theft. Witnesses had photographed two men, later identified as
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Man jailed after deputies find makeshift phone line recycling operation
BY ROGER SMITH MOUNTAIN CITIZEN INEZ — A Martin County man went to jail Saturday after deputies uncovered what looked like a phone line recycling plant in his yard. Wendell Taylor Johnson, 25, of Inez, was arrested at 349 Johnson Drive, where Martin County Sheriff’s deputies initially showed up to serve a warrant on a
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Inez man arrested in Johnson copper theft
BY RACHEL DOVE MOUNTAIN CITIZEN PAINTSVILLE — An Inez man was arrested in neighboring Johnson County for allegedly cutting and stealing phone lines owned by Foothills Communication. Justin Mollette, 33, was arrested Aug. 23 by Johnson County Sheriff’s deputies. According to the police report, deputies arrived at the intersection of U.S. 23 and KY 3224,
